heterogeneous

Etymology

From Medieval Latin heterogeneus, from Ancient Greek ἑτερογενής (heterogenḗs, “of different kinds”), from ἕτερος (héteros, “other, another, different”) + γένος (génos, “kind”). Compare hetero- and -ous.

adj

1. Diverse in kind or nature; composed of diverse parts.
   He had a large and heterogeneous collection of books.
   With a vague curiosity I began to trace the outline of some of the heterogeneous impressions, trying meanwhile to curb the flights of macabre fancy which the place and its memories suggested. 1931, H. P. Lovecraft, chapter 6, in The Whisperer in Darkness
2. (mathematics) Incommensurable because of different kinds.
3. (physics, chemistry) Having more than one phase (solid, liquid, gas) present in a system or process.
4. (chemistry) Visibly consisting of different components.
5. (computing) Of a network comprising different types of computers, potentially with vastly differing memory sizes, processing power and even basic underlying architecture; alternatively, of a data resource with multiple types of formats.